Lewis Hamilton secured a dominant victory at the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, reclaiming the lead in a thrilling Drivers’ Championship battle. His third win of the season came amidst treacherous and ever-changing weather conditions, turning a potentially straightforward race into a dramatic display of skill, strategy, and pure luck. The McLaren driver expertly navigated the rain-soaked track, capitalizing on rivals’ misfortunes and delivering a performance that cemented his status as a championship contender.
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The Grand Prix at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit was nothing short of action-packed, as intermittent rain showers created havoc for much of the field. Hamilton’s triumph was particularly significant as he managed to pass Mark Webber at the start and then held his nerve through multiple safety car periods and tyre changes. In stark contrast, three of his closest championship rivals – Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Jenson Button – all encountered significant trouble, failing to score points and allowing Hamilton to open a crucial gap in the standings.
A Chaotic Start and Barrichello’s Unfortunate Milestone
The race began with immediate drama as pole-sitter Mark Webber suffered a disastrous start, bogging down badly off the line and plummeting from first to sixth by the first corner. Seizing the opportunity, Lewis Hamilton surged into the lead, followed closely by Robert Kubica and Jenson Button. However, the initial dry conditions were short-lived.
Within moments, the first of several rain showers descended upon the track. While not excessively heavy, it was enough to make the braking zone for the challenging Bus Stop chicane treacherous. Several cars struggled for grip, including Hamilton, who briefly ran wide but recovered, and Button, who was actively battling Kubica. Tragically, for Rubens Barrichello, his 300th Grand Prix race came to an abrupt and spectacular end. Misjudging the conditions, he lost control and collided heavily with Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari. The impact ripped a wheel off Barrichello’s Williams, forcing his retirement. Astonishingly, despite the severity of the crash, Alonso was able to continue, albeit with some damage, highlighting the robust construction of modern F1 cars and a stroke of immense luck.
The incident necessitated the deployment of the safety car, giving the marshals time to clear the debris. Before the safety car was fully deployed, Button skillfully exploited a mistake by Kubica at the iconic Eau Rouge corner, snatching second place. Vettel almost followed suit but was forced onto the grass to avoid contact with the Renault, a moment that foreshadowed further trouble for the young German.
Vettel’s Costly Error and Button’s Retirement
Once the safety car pulled in, Hamilton maintained his lead over Button, while Vettel managed to overtake Kubica. The Red Bull driver, eager to make up for his poor qualifying and initial race pace, then began an aggressive pursuit of Button, whose McLaren was already sporting a damaged front wing from an earlier skirmish. Hamilton, meanwhile, was diligently extending his lead, creating a comfortable ten-second buffer.
As the rain returned on lap 16, Vettel intensified his attack on Button. In a contentious move at the Bus Stop chicane, Vettel attempted to pass Button but lost control of his car in the damp conditions. His Red Bull speared directly into the side of Button’s McLaren, causing immediate and irreparable damage. Steam billowed from Button’s MP4-25, signaling a terminal end to his race and a significant blow to his championship aspirations. Vettel, despite the collision, was able to continue after a quick stop in the pits for a new front wing, though he later incurred a drive-through penalty for causing the incident. In the aftermath of the crash, Kubica inherited second place, with Webber moving up to third.
Mid-Race Strategy and Hamilton’s Test of Nerve
With another shower passing over the circuit, teams began considering their mandatory dry-tyre pit stops. Adrian Sutil was among the first to pit, aiming to maintain his track position ahead of Alonso. The Ferrari driver, having already made an early stop after his collision for intermediate tyres before switching back to hard compounds, was now on a recovery drive. He meticulously picked off the new teams’ cars and engaged in a prolonged battle with Liuzzi, eventually edging past him at the chicane to claim 13th place.
Following Sutil’s pit stop, the other frontrunners reacted. Webber pitted first, followed by Felipe Massa and Kubica on the subsequent lap. Webber’s stop wasn’t quite quick enough to jump Kubica, despite a valiant slipstream attempt along the Kemmel Straight. Hamilton finally made his mandatory stop on lap 24, rejoining the race still comfortably in the lead. However, this wouldn’t be his last visit to the pit lane.
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The Heaviest Rain and Hamilton’s Heart-Stopping Moment
With roughly ten laps remaining, the heaviest rain shower of the race arrived, plunging the circuit into chaos once more. Initially, Hamilton and the other leaders attempted to brave the worsening conditions on their slick tyres, hoping the rain would ease. However, some drivers took a gamble: Timo Glock, for instance, immediately switched to full wet tyres, though the track never quite became wet enough to fully justify this early call.
As the rain intensified, pounding down on the circuit, Hamilton, Kubica, Webber, and Massa continued past the pits on their slicks, a decision that proved risky. The cars further back, witnessing the deteriorating grip, began peeling into the pits en masse, mostly opting for intermediate tyres. Hamilton soon discovered the peril of his choice at Rivage, where his McLaren understeered off the track and skittered through the gravel trap. In a heart-stopping moment, he barely grazed the barrier, demonstrating incredible car control to rejoin the circuit. While he avoided a race-ending crash, his once substantial lead had been dramatically slashed, opening the door for his pursuers.
This near-miss prompted the leading quartet – Hamilton, Kubica, Webber, and Massa – to immediately pit for intermediates. However, the pit stop phase wasn’t without drama. Kubica overshot his marks, knocking several of his pit crew members to the ground (they were fortunately unharmed). The valuable time lost in this incident allowed Webber to leapfrog him into second place.
Alonso’s Second Retirement and the Final Sprint
During this period of intense action, Fernando Alonso had steadily climbed back up the order, reaching eighth place by battling with Kamui Kobayashi. However, his remarkable recovery drive came to an unfortunate end on lap 37. As he exited Turn 7, he ran too high on the kerb, lost control, and spun into the barrier. This final impact brought the apparently indestructible Ferrari to a complete halt, signaling his retirement and prompting the deployment of the safety car for a second time. Ironically, the safety car period coincided with the heaviest rainfall of the entire race, potentially denying drivers who had gambled on full wet tyres their best chance to gain significant positions.
The race restarted with just four laps remaining, setting up a thrilling sprint to the finish. Hamilton, showing immense composure under pressure, held his lead over Webber and Kubica to take the checkered flag. It was a hugely satisfying victory for the McLaren driver, finally claiming a win at Spa that had controversially been taken from him two years prior. Webber was the only other driver among the top five in the championship to score points, limiting the damage to his title hopes.
Felipe Massa enjoyed a relatively quiet but effective race to secure fourth position, with Adrian Sutil less than a second behind him at the finish line, rounding out a strong performance for Force India. Nico Rosberg claimed sixth place, just ahead of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. The Mercedes teammates engaged in a fascinating battle throughout the race, swapping positions twice. Schumacher initially passed Rosberg – incidentally clipping his front wing – after his teammate had been overtaken by Vitaly Petrov. However, Rosberg fought back later in the race, making a decisive move past his teammate at Les Combes.
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Petrov brought his Renault home in an impressive ninth place behind Kamui Kobayashi, a commendable recovery having started from 23rd on the grid. Jaime Alguersuari secured the final championship point for tenth position. However, his result was subject to a stewards’ investigation into whether he gained an unfair advantage by cutting the chicane late in the race during a battle with Liuzzi. The Force India driver, Liuzzi, ultimately finished 11th, ahead of Pedro de la Rosa, Sebastien Buemi, and Nico Hulkenberg, who spun late in the race on wet tyres.
Vettel, after his incident with Button and subsequent drive-through penalty, enduring a truly torrid race, finishing out of the points in a disappointing 15th position. Further misfortune struck when Liuzzi made contact with his left-rear tyre after Vettel passed him at the chicane, leaving the Red Bull driver with a puncture that he had to nurse around an entire lap. An additional pit stop for a second set of full wet tyres meant Vettel made a total of five trips to the pit lane, encapsulating a frustrating and costly afternoon for the young German.
Among the new teams, Heikki Kovalainen was the first to cross the finish line, followed by Lucas di Grassi, Timo Glock, Jarno Trulli, and Sakon Yamamoto, all demonstrating perseverance in the challenging conditions.
The 2010 Belgian Grand Prix delivered one of the most unpredictable and enthralling races of the season, significantly reshaping the championship landscape. Lewis Hamilton’s composure and skill in adversity proved decisive, giving him a valuable advantage as the season progressed. The strategic gambles, dramatic collisions, and relentless battles against both rivals and the elements made this a truly memorable event at Spa.
2010 Belgian Grand Prix Race Weekend Review
- Technical review: Belgian Grand Prix
- From the stands: Carol Treurnicht watches the Belgian GP at Spa
- Liuzzi: “I’d have passed Alguersuari easily”
- Button denies braking early in Vettel crash
- Hamilton “wasn’t pushing” when he went off
- 2010 Belgian Grand Prix – the complete F1 Fanatic race weekend review
- Who was the best driver of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend?
- Damage limitation for Webber – but not Vettel (Red Bull race review)
- Ferrari’s practice pace disappears on Sunday (Ferrari race review)
- Renault’s latest upgrade gives Kubica a shot at victory (Renault race review)
Browse all 2010 Belgian Grand Prix articles